| OPERATIONS & INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
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| UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM |
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Computer-based management systems and analytic approaches to decision making are
increasingly vital to effective management in both the public and private sectors, and in both
product-oriented and service industries. As organizations continue to develop and implement
sophisticated decision support systems in all aspects of their business, they increase the demand
for managers who have the expertise to understand, create, and profitably exploit the rapidly
developing management technology. There also is a growing demand for skilled professionals
who can manage effectively the operations function encompassing the manufacturing and
distribution of products and services. Rapidly changing developments in information
technology, production automation, robotics, and telecommunications, and intensifying
competitive pressures for productivity and quality, present challenging opportunities for
managers who have a thorough understanding of information systems, operations planning and
control, and management decision models.
The Operations and Information Management curriculum prepares students to meet these
challenges by providing rigorous foundations in the complementary disciplines of decision
processes, management information systems, management science, and operations management.
A concentration in OPIM consists of four courses (not including OPIM101). Students can either
take a general program of four OPIM courses or can follow a designated track within the OPIM
concentration which provides a more focused program in one of three major disciplines: decision
processes, information systems, and operations management/management science. Each track
includes at least one foundation course that provides an introduction to the subject area and
serves as a prerequisite for higher-level courses within a discipline. These foundation courses
are: OPIM290 – Decision Processes, OPIM210 – Management Information Systems, OPIM
220– Process Management in Manufacturing or OPIM321 – Management Science. These
courses are then followed by additional electives. It is suggested (but not required) that students
who elect to pursue a program outside the designated tracks consult the undergraduate advisor to
discuss appropriate course sequences and combinations that will best satisfy a student’s
individual objectives. The department welcomes not only students who select one or more of
these fields as a primary concentration, but also students who choose to supplement their
educational program in other departments with a second concentration.
Recent graduates from the department occupy responsible positions in consulting firms,
manufacturing companies, accounting firms, banks, computer services companies, hardware
vendors, and software development firms, or operate their own companies. The OPIM
concentration is also an excellent foundation for future graduate studies, in part because of the
technical and analytical elements of this program.
Decision Processes Track (DP)
The Decision Processes track establishes rigorous scientific foundations for describing,
predicting, and improving the processes through which individuals and groups collect data and
information, form judgments and make decisions. The program examines descriptive theories
and empirical research on human behavior that identify systematic biases in judgment and
heuristics or rules of thumb that individuals and groups use to cope with complex decision
making and negotiations environments. It also examines ways that individuals and groups can
make better decisions given their biases and information processing limitations.
The DP track includes two foundation courses and two electives.
Foundation courses:
OPIM 290 Decision Processes
OPIM 291 Negotiations
Electives (choose two):
OPIM 220 Process Management in Manufacturing
OPIM 261 Risk Analysis and Environmental Management
OPIM 321 Management Science
OPIM 469 Advanced Topics in Information Strategy and Economics
MKTG 211 Consumer Behavior
PSYCH 153 Thinking and Decisions
Information Systems Track (IS)
The rapid technological progress in the computing sector and the dramatic decline in the cost of
computer power have fueled an investment boom in information technologies. Information
technology are now called upon to understand how technology can be used to create new
corporate strategies, new products and new types of organizations in addition to the traditional
roles of designing, building and maintaining information systems and managing systems
implementation.
The Information Systems track in OPIM is designed to provide the necessary understanding both
technical and business issues relating to information systems. The program is ideal for students
interested in managing information technology, either as a technologist or as a general manager,
or as a consultant in technology-intensive industries. In addition, the program provides a good
supplement to engineering or other technologically-sophisticated students who wish to obtain
greater exposure to managerial issues or students in finance or management who wish to better
understand the role of technology in their core disciplines.
The IS track includes of one foundation course and three electives.
Foundation course:
OPIM210 Management Information Systems
Electives (choose three):
OPIM 290 Decision Processes
OPIM 223 Service Operations Management
OPIM 311 Business Computer Languages
OPIM 314 Enabling Technologies
OPIM 315 Data Base Management Systems
OPIM 316 Systems Analysis, Design, and Implementation
OPIM 319 Seminar in Decision Systems
OPIM 410 Decision Support Systems
OPIM 469 Advanced Topics in Information Strategy and Economics
Operations Management / Management Science Track (OM/MS)
The design, production and distribution of goods and services are the core activities around
which all firms and economies are built. The department offers a series of courses that allow
students to build a fundamental understanding of the tradeoffs to consider when managing the
development of products and services, as well as the operations used to produce them and fulfill
customer requirements.
The need to effectively manage the production of goods and services has also sparked the
development of a number of useful mathematical tools. Besides their direct application to
operational problems, these management science techniques have been broadly applied to a wide
variety of other economic activities, from the pricing of financial instruments to decisions
concerning markdown policies in retailing.
The OPIM Department’s Operations Management / Management Science track addresses central
issues necessary to understand production and service operations in today’s global economy.
This program provides a rigorous foundation for immediate careers in consulting and analytic
strategy support for companies, as well as preparation for future graduate studies in economics
and business.
The OM/MS track includes one foundation course and three electives.
Foundation Course:
OPIM 220 Process Management in Manufacturing
or
OPIM321 Management Science
Electives (choose three others):
OPIM 220 Process Management in Manufacturing
OPIM 223 Service Operations Management
OPIM 321 Management Science
OPIM 415 Product Development.
Other courses, within the OPIM and Electrical and Systems Engineering Departments, which fit
with the student’s program of study may be substituted for one of the electives, with permission.
Possible alternatives include:
OPIM 290 Decision Processes
OPIM 210 Management Information Systems
OPIM 397 Retail Supply Chain Management
OPIM 399 Independent Study
ESE 210 Introduction to Dynamic Systems
ESE 250 Logistic, Manufacturing, and Transportation Systems
ESE303 Stochastic Systems Analysis and Simulation
ESE304 Optimization Techniques
ESE444 Project Management
ESE501 Multicriteria Decision Making.